US trade commission sides with iRobot, bans SharkNinja robot vacuum imports

FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) -The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would ban imports of SharkNinja Operating LLC robot vacuums that infringe a patent owned by Roomba maker iRobot Corp.

The full commission upheld part of a trade judge's October decision that SharkNinja violated two of its rival's patents, affirming that SharkNinja's devices mimicked iRobot navigation technology.